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Gregory DeFotis

Number of games in database: 100
Years covered: 1968 to 1998
Last FIDE rating: 2390
Overall record: +36 -22 =42 (57.0%)*
   * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games in the database.

MOST PLAYED OPENINGS
With the White pieces:
 Queen's Pawn Game (11) 
    A45 A41 A46 D00 A40
 Uncommon Opening (10) 
    A00
 Grunfeld (5) 
    D78 D73 D76 D72
 King's Indian (4) 
    E60 E64 E62 E72
With the Black pieces:
 Sicilian (20) 
    B98 B91 B22 B23 B21
 Sicilian Najdorf (12) 
    B98 B93 B90 B91 B92
 Dutch Defense (6) 
    A88
Repertoire Explorer

NOTABLE GAMES: [what is this?]
   G DeFotis vs A Saidy, 1968 1-0
   K Burger vs G DeFotis, 1968 0-1
   G DeFotis vs Browne, 1968 1/2-1/2
   G DeFotis vs E Nash, 1968 1-0
   Benko vs G DeFotis, 1972 1/2-1/2
   G DeFotis vs E Winslow, 1968 1-0
   J Westbrock vs G DeFotis, 1968 0-1
   R Mills vs G DeFotis, 1968 1/2-1/2
   G DeFotis vs J Hechtlinger, 1968 1-0
   G DeFotis vs Suttles, 1973 1-0

NOTABLE TOURNAMENTS: [what is this?]
   United States Championship (1972)
   69th US Open (1968)
   Midwest Masters (1985)
   USA Masters (1990)
   72nd US Open (1971)
   World Student Team Championship Final-A (1969)

GAME COLLECTIONS: [what is this?]
   US Championship 1972 by Phony Benoni

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FIDE player card for Gregory DeFotis

GREGORY DEFOTIS
(born Dec-08-1951, died Sep-05-2017, 65 years old) United States of America

[what is this?]

Gregory Steven DeFotis was a Chicago-area FIDE Master, and the younger brother of Gary DeFotis. In 1966, he won the first Illinois High School Students Chess Championship. DeFotis won or tied for first in the U.S. Junior Championship thrice. In the US Championship (1972), he tied for sixth with William Lombardy in a very strong field, scoring +3 =9 -1. Chessmetrics ranks him the No. 145 player in the world as of July 1972.

DeFotis tied for first at the 1973 U.S. Open. After 1973, he largely gave up competitive chess to become a professional bridge and backgammon player. He died on September 5, 2017.

Last updated: 2022-07-23 16:17:45

Try our new games table.

 page 1 of 4; games 1-25 of 100  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. N Weinstein vs G DeFotis  ½-½331968USA Junior Invitational ChampionshipB90 Sicilian, Najdorf
2. G DeFotis vs A Deutsch  1-0231968USA Junior Invitational ChampionshipA56 Benoni Defense
3. G DeFotis vs E Winslow  1-043196869th US OpenE72 King's Indian
4. J Westbrock vs G DeFotis  0-142196869th US OpenE76 King's Indian, Four Pawns Attack
5. G DeFotis vs A Saidy  1-043196869th US OpenA79 Benoni, Classical, 11.f3
6. Benko vs G DeFotis  1-037196869th US OpenE90 King's Indian
7. R Mills vs G DeFotis  ½-½18196869th US OpenA07 King's Indian Attack
8. G DeFotis vs J Hechtlinger  1-046196869th US OpenB17 Caro-Kann, Steinitz Variation
9. K Burger vs G DeFotis  0-158196869th US OpenA26 English
10. G DeFotis vs Browne  ½-½28196869th US OpenD35 Queen's Gambit Declined
11. Larsen vs G DeFotis  1-034196869th US OpenB21 Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4
12. G DeFotis vs E Nash  1-046196869th US OpenE20 Nimzo-Indian
13. A Malachi vs G DeFotis  ½-½341969World Student Team Championship qual-3B98 Sicilian, Najdorf
14. G DeFotis vs W Hartston  ½-½171969World Student Team Championship qual-3D78 Neo-Grunfeld, 6.O-O c6
15. G DeFotis vs P Votruba  1-0401969World Student Team Championship Final-AE54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
16. J Dueball vs G DeFotis  ½-½261969World Student Team Championship Final-AB99 Sicilian, Najdorf, 7...Be7 Main line
17. R Postler vs G DeFotis  ½-½331969World Student Team Championship Final-AB23 Sicilian, Closed
18. M Despotovic vs G DeFotis  1-0401969World Student Team Championship Final-AA58 Benko Gambit
19. G DeFotis vs D Wright  1-0371969World Student Team Championship Final-AA10 English
20. G DeFotis vs T Georgadze  0-1721969World Student Team Championship Final-AA30 English, Symmetrical
21. J Kent vs G DeFotis  0-1241971USAA88 Dutch, Leningrad, Main Variation with c6
22. H Tobin vs G DeFotis  0-120197172nd US OpenB87 Sicilian, Fischer-Sozin with ...a6 and ...b5
23. G DeFotis vs R G Myers  1-025197172nd US OpenA07 King's Indian Attack
24. D Presser vs G DeFotis  0-146197172nd US OpenB23 Sicilian, Closed
25. G DeFotis vs Reshevsky  ½-½19197172nd US OpenE64 King's Indian, Fianchetto, Yugoslav System
 page 1 of 4; games 1-25 of 100  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | DeFotis wins | DeFotis loses  

Kibitzer's Corner
Feb-13-14  jerseybob: Surprising DeFotis doesn't even have the IM title, let alone GM, which he seemed destined for in his early 70's heyday.
Feb-14-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <jerseybob> Maybe less surprising than one would think; for someone who played chiefly in the Midwest in the 1970s and only occasionally made events such as Lone Pine, the chances of making three IM norms within the-then three-year window were small indeed, and GM for even stronger players was only possible, practically speaking, if one went to Europe for a while, as did Jim Tarjan.

Surprising to see the number of common opponents, of which DeFotis' appearance in the 1972 US Championship accounts for several.

Feb-14-14  jerseybob: Perfidious: You're right, but it's been a common story for many promising American players down through the years: Get a Title, or make a living?
Feb-06-17  Howard: Defotis gave up chess for either backgammon or contract bridge--don't recall which.
Sep-07-17  nericp: Bridge - follow this link: http://archives.chicagotribune.com/...
Sep-07-17  Marmot PFL: The problem with bridge is getting four players together for a game. DeFotis asked me once at a tournament to play but I said I was much worse at that game than at chess. Since he had crushed me in the first round in about 20 moves he didn't press the point.
Dec-01-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: I think the surname of Greg and his brother Gary is "De Fotis" (two words) rather than "DeFotis." https://new.uschess.org/player-sear... Correction slip submitted.
Dec-01-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: Greg was EXTREMELY strong, as his +2 performance in a very strong U.S. Championship (a zonal with all the top players except Fischer) attests. He would surely have become a GM if he hadn't given up chess for more lucrative games. I met his older brother Gary at the recent U.S. Masters tournament in Charlotte, NC and expressed my condolences for Greg's death.
Dec-02-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  Stonehenge: <I think the surname of Greg and his brother Gary is "De Fotis">

DeFotis here: https://www.wm.edu/as/chemistry/peo...

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